The opposition leader of the breakaway region of Somaliland, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, commonly known as Cirro, has won the presidential election, battering the current president, Muse Bihi Abdi.
Born on April 24, 1955, in Hargeisa, Abdullahi of the Waddani Party won the election with 63.92% of the vote.
The current president, Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling Kulmiye Party, could only secure 30% of the votes, although he sought a second term of presidency after seven years in office.
Abdi was popular in struggling for Somaliland’s international recognition as an independent state.
Ethiopia’s PM Abiy Ahmed signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abdi on January 1, 2024, in Addis Ababa to access from and to the sea of Somaliland and to lease 20km parts of its coastline for 50 years to build a naval base, granting, allegedly, recognition to Somaliland in exchange.
Following the announcement of the election result, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia has congratulated President-elect Abdullahi on his victory.
“Somaliland’s impressive record of elections and peaceful transfers of power is a model for the region and beyond,” the embassy said in its congratulatory message on X.
Abdullahi, 69, started his career as a diplomat in Somalia’s foreign office, serving as the first Counselor at the Embassy of Somalia in Moscow in 1981.
He co-founded the Justice and Welfare Party (JWP) in 2002 and joined Somaliland’s parliament as the speaker of the House of Representatives in 2005.
